As Christoff notes, ‘this four-degree world is one of almost unimaginable social, economic and ecological consequences and catastrophes’ but, given current international and Australian energy and climate policies, it is “an impending reality”. The book contains contributions by Australia’s leading scientists and economists, including Ross Garnaut, David Karoly and Will Steffen, setting out a four-degree future across the ecological, social and economic impacts, and the adaptation that will be required.
Previously, climate change dialogue has mainly focused on two degrees Celsius of global temperature rise, which had been identified as a key environmental “tipping point”. Scientific consensus is now that our business-as-usual trajectory will cause the global average temperature to rise by a global average of four degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels by 2070-2100.

Nonetheless, regional increases will range from four to sixteen degrees on land, with the Arctic continuing to heat up the most, as it has done to date.

One of the key insights from Four degrees or More? is that almost nothing about the consequences of climate change will be uniform.

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New data, from both eye witnesses and NASA satellite imagery, points to thinning sea ice and land ice and methane columns over the Arctic regions, plus new, formerly undisclosed methane threats. These in turn point to a more immanent Arctic Blue Ocean event, in an accelerated and accelerating time frame. The situation is exacerbated by The IPCC (Inter-governmental Panel on Clinate Change), which would take longer to vet the news, than is needed for adequate response to prevent 4c or higher. Please check out the videos from the UN climate change conference in Lima, Peru, this past December (2014). You can shortcut over to AMEG.me, the Artcic Methane Emergency Group’s website, for direct access to key announcements which should be rocking the world right now, but are not.

Just now reading Going Dark by Guy McPherson. Also have been immersed in various updates on Arctic Ice/methane emergency on YouTube. We have abrupt changes coming and so many of us are not ready at all.

I looked at the reviews of Going Dark (2013) on Amazon, some positive & several negative. The most stunning item mentioned is radiation from nuclear power plant meltdowns. Is McPherson saying this is inevitable?!

McPherson’s view is fairly ominous and is not informed with K. Although the scenario of meltdown going into explosion is very realistic, and a scenario we would be wise not to ignore, it is still true that even with the future of humanity at stake, with Knowledge nothing is ever hopeless. At least that is how I see it.

McPherson’s view is fairly ominous and is not informed with K. Although the scenario of meltdown going into explosion is very realistic, and a scenario we would be wise not to ignore, it is still true that even with the future of humanity at stake, with Knowledge nothing is ever hopeless. At least that is how I see it.